The TERRIBLE State of Norwegian Cruise Line in 2024

[Sizzlechest]

Is this true? Are the slightly older ships that bad?

 

 

[david_sobe]

Don't shoot the messenger

 

 

[Niki Lauda]

Yes, sadly it is….

[PhillyTravelBug]

🙄🙄 really over them. They’ve just turned into every other clickbait content creator for the cruise industry.

[UKstages]

seems to me like a very fair summary of the state of NCL product in Q4 2024.

 

he even edited it at the last minute to briefly discus MAS, noting that it was a mixed bag... some good things, some bad. 

 

he praised what he could, what he liked, but he also was quite critical of NCL, and rightly so. there were no shockers here. every one of these things has been discussed ad nauseam on CC. 

 

 

 

 

[yakcruiser]

We know who is not getting invited to the next vlogger get together.

[Joldevlin]

We were on the week after them and had  such a great time. If you start looking for wear and tear you will find it. The food was good to great for the most part which was a happy surprise and had really no wait times for anything. If you are at the pool bar at 2 in the afternoon on a sea day there will be a line at the bar....walk to another one. There are places that get crowded like the Cavern club but that comes to bad design from the start. I dont really care about their opinion on anything...I stopped watching them a while ago.

[scooter6139]

I haven't watched it yet, but I have seen their Epic takedown. I watch them regularly, as my wife and I enjoy the content. But it is just their opinion based on facts and reality as they see it on each cruise.  It is just another data point to use when deciding on cruises.  

[dlh015]

Couldn't pay me to watch these guys again...

[suech1970]

We sailed for the 3rd time on NCL Sky this year. A ship that’s 25 years old and she is no way near in the sorry state that Epic is in.  Having watched Ben and David’s previous vlogs, I feel like Epic was a disaster from the start and they just don’t want to spend any more $$$ on her.
All public areas on Sky were and  well maintained, cabins may be dated but everything was in full working order.  This has also been our experience on Gem, Jade and Jewel, all older than Epic.
Our only disappointment this time was the buffet, major cost cutting from our last sailing 12 months ago. 
The only times I’ve been let down has been with Customer Services on board.  wait staff, bar tenders, cabin attendants have given 100%, could not fault them,  on all of  our cruises….so far

[itsnotjustme]

I agree with portions of what is said, but far from all of it.  Just off Breakaway two weeks ago.  My review is here:

 

Breakaway 15 - 22 Sep 2024

[Sizzlechest]

5 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

I agree with portions of what is said, but far from all of it.  Just off Breakaway two weeks ago.  My review is here:

 

Breakaway 15 - 22 Sep 2024

 

Ship Design/layout:  C-

Breakaway lacks adequate sized venues for the number of passengers.

 

I agree!

[littlegit]

I sailed on the Dawn in February on a bucket list itinerary in Asia.  We are Sapphire on NCL and that sailing was the worst cruise NCL cruise we've have been on (the ports were fantastic though). We heard a lot of fellow passengers vowing never to sail NCL again.  Ben and David made some valid points. Now I am looking forward to my next Princess cruise and exploring other cruise lines.

[kasimir]

You can think of Ben and David what you want, but they are stating some obvious facts and its no secret that NCLH is trying for some time to get financially in a better situation. Here are some of the obvious and blatant cost cutting measures that come to mind that have been implemented during the past 2 years: 

- Cuts in entertainment

- Removal of second turn down service

- Lowering of food quality, very noticeable in their meat/fish dishes 

- Complete removal of higher valued food items in MDR, Buffet and Indulge Food hall.

- Increase in service charges

- Lower staff count (this really is noticeable)

- Nickel and diming getting worst. 

These are just a few that come to mind, but what really gave us a sour taste that very recently their cruises are getting more expensive on top of all the cost cutting. I mean if you want to increase prices, fine, but don't aggressively cut your product and service at the same time. 

There are a lot of NCL cruises for 2025 that are being priced equally or more expensive than Celebrity or Princess. And I am afraid that this way NCL will upset their loyal customers. 

 

Again, you might not like Ben and David or their style of content, but you must be blind (or haven't been on an NCL ship in the past 2 years) to have not noticed that NCL is going in the wrong direction at a very fast pace. 

[Topdog52]

11 minutes ago, kasimir said:

You can think of Ben and David what you want, but they are stating some obvious facts and its no secret that NCLH is trying for some time to get financially in a better situation. Here are some of the obvious and blatant cost cutting measures that come to mind that have been implemented during the past 2 years: 

- Cuts in entertainment

- Removal of second turn down service

- Lowering of food quality, very noticeable in their meat/fish dishes 

- Complete removal of higher valued food items in MDR, Buffet and Indulge Food hall.

- Increase in service charges

- Lower staff count (this really is noticeable)

- Nickel and diming getting worst. 

These are just a few that come to mind, but what really gave us a sour taste that very recently their cruises are getting more expensive on top of all the cost cutting. I mean if you want to increase prices, fine, but don't aggressively cut your product and service at the same time. 

There are a lot of NCL cruises for 2025 that are being priced equally or more expensive than Celebrity or Princess. And I am afraid that this way NCL will upset their loyal customers. 

 

Again, you might not like Ben and David or their style of content, but you must be blind (or haven't been on an NCL ship in the past 2 years) to have not noticed that NCL is going in the wrong direction at a very fast pace. 

Yes, cost cutting!! You will notice that the Big Brass, did not cut their pay and bonuses.

[IAcruising]

A pretty spot-on analysis of NCL at the moment, it seems to me.

 

I do take issue with their blanket statement about the condition of the older ships, based on the Epic. I mean, it's the Epic. It is going in for refurb in 2025.

 

Also, a 40-minute wait for drink? Seriously? Go get it yourself instead of relying on an over-worked server. 

 

Otherwise, I have no disagreement with their review overall.

 

[kasimir]

Oh and almost forgot to mention, the many itinerary changes after final payment is really concerning.

Even though we were not affected personally by this, but I think this behavior to wait till after final payment date is unethical in the amount its happening recently. 

[Oddsbet1029]

I have cruised Norwegian many times since my first on Spirit in 2012, most recently on the NCL Sun to Alaska. I was very disappointed by this cruise. I have watched the video from Ben of Ben and David and do not disagree with one word of it. I have cancelled two future cruises and can't see coming back to NCL.  

[roxette]

I have been on NCL Gem and Spirit this year, a total of 37 nights. Except for the great staff, there is nothing that would keep me coming back again to NCL. It feels like a Costa Cruise. The speciality restaurants shouldn't have as few included in the package dishes, in my mind. 

 

I have also this year been on MSC and Azamara this year. In my mind, no cut backs there. And no, Azamara is not necessarily more expensive than NCL. 

 

 

I also loved the premium plus package...

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Couldn't pay me to watch these guys again...

But that is why they come up with outlandish titles and engage in the mass media sensationalized fake news. By watching their video, once, you have already got them paid. Every click they get from click bait, lines their pockets with money,,, and if they get you hooked on their half truths and sensationalized fake news, you are likely going to click on another one of their videos.... more money to them from  YouTube. 

[bortman23]

I used to watch their videos all the time, now only rarely.

 

Their thumbnails and titles have become stock "click bait" they're pandering for clicks. "Boarding the Ugliest Cruise Ever" etc. 

 

They really have become very harsh critics, often unreasonably so. The Epic is WAY overdue for a dry dock, no one will debate that, but they focus on the tiniest thing and make it some huge deal, "ew rust!" "We saw a WIRE!", there are wires all over the ship!? That's a completely normal thing.

[New2cruise2022]

3 hours ago, littlegit said:

I sailed on the Dawn in February on a bucket list itinerary in Asia.  We are Sapphire on NCL and that sailing was the worst cruise NCL cruise we've have been on (the ports were fantastic though). We heard a lot of fellow passengers vowing never to sail NCL again.  Ben and David made some valid points. Now I am looking forward to my next Princess cruise and exploring other cruise lines.

I have enjoyed my time with Princess and the dollar to value is hard to beat. That being said, all cruise prices really seem to be trending upwards. With increased price you want to see customer service, choice/variety, and quality of product trending upwards as well … or at least maintaining the standard. As a consumer, it’s impossibly to not want these things to exceed or increase along with the price. 

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

their half truths and sensationalized fake news,

 

Bird, please provide concrete examples of this from the review. Oh, you didn't watch it? Go figure.

 

[david_sobe]

In the post Covid era every cruise line, hotel and restaurant has made cut backs.  This video will cause many that are blind loyalists to melt down.  It will give those that don't like NCL justifications for their feelings.  I am in the middle.  The video does highlight some things that are not good.  Cruise bookings are at a record high.  Yet NCL has gutted entertainment while the other lines are expanding or at least treading water with top notch shows.  No one should be selling cruises to passengers while eating dinner.  Over the past 10 years many NCL top executives have been tone deaf in what they say.  Maybe its not what they said but how they said it.  Their statements started with having the goal of getting more money from passengers and bragging about raising prices, etc.  You have to portray that in a way describing the guest experience.  Its true that NCL cutbacks started well before COVID and are still happening.  I think its fair to talk about them.  Is it not true of the major lines that NCL has the highest gratuities yet get less service than the other lines.   Personally I never understood why they made up the room on cruise ships twice a day.  Once is fine with me and sometimes twice a day interferes with staying in the cabin.  That cutback would never impact me.  My only concern is the cutbacks seem to never stop over the past 10 years.  I keep waiting and hoping the pendulum will start to swing back a bit.  But let's be real.  This is what companies and corporations do.  They have budget rooms that have meetings every day how to pinch pennies, cut expenses, and make more profits.  No longer are there Epic planning type meetings where they say "we want the biggest names in entertainment and the biggest grossest lavish experiences ever"  In my next NCL cruise there are 4 of us in a Haven cabin and the gratuities are $700!!!!!  Not too long ago that could have gotten you a 7 night cruise 🙈

[david_sobe]

I would add 2 more things.  With all the cutbacks it is insulting that the CEO of NCL makes more than any other CEO of the cruise lines.  No one is saying his salary should not be competitive or similar to other cruise lines.  But the hiking of fees and cut backs leaves a bad taste when CEOs are padding their pockets and not concerned about customer satisfaction.

The second thing is the wait for drinks. I have not sailed recently so I dont have personal experience.  Before I sailed Encore I watched a cruise video that documented long wait times for drinks.  However when I sailed I got drinks all over the ship without waiting.  There are lots of reviews and videos of people clocking their wait time on NCL ships and its alarming.  Many of the reviews are mostly positive except the wait time for drinks.  The bartenders were so overwhelmed they put 2 glasses on the bar and make 20 drinks at a time just to try and keep up with the demand.  Ben and David's timing the drink experience is not unique and I see it in other cruise vlogs.  When you have an "all inclusive" experience since most have a drink package, you must staff your ships appropriately.